The Romanian minister of justice, Radu Marinescu, asked his Dutch counterpart "to continue efforts for the efficient resolution" of the case involving Romania's Dacian treasure items stolen in Drents, and offered the Dutch side all the necessary support.
In the context of the informal meeting in Warsaw of the ministers of justice of the member states of the European Union, on Thursday, the Romanian minister of justice, Radu Marinescu, had a bilateral meeting with the minister of justice and security of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, David van Weel, regarding the theft, from the Drents Museum, of items from Romania's Dacian treasure.
The Romanian official mentioned that the theft of the items from Romania's Dacian treasure caused a lot of concern in the society, given the importance of these heritage assets, and provoked strong emotional reactions in what concerns the public opinion. At the same time, he mentioned the measures ordered by the Romanian Government, which set up a crisis cell for the efficient coordination of activities related to the recovery of the four pieces of heritage that were stolen, it was stated on Friday on the Facebook page of the Romanian Ministry of Justice.
Radu Marinescu also emphasised that he is fully aware of the fact that the relevant Dutch authorities are making every effort to quickly investigate this case in order to identify and catch the perpetrators, as well as to recover the stolen heritage assets. So far, three suspects have been detained.
"In the context of the good functioning of judicial cooperation between the Romanian and Dutch sides, the minister of justice asked minister van Weel to continue the sustained efforts for the efficient resolution of this case and expressed his willingness to provide the Dutch side with all necessary support. The Dutch official stated that he fully understands the position of the Romanian side and assured that the Dutch authorities are making every effort to resolve the case expeditiously and recover the heritage items. He also underscored that the Dutch authorities will maintain close contact with the Romanian authorities during the investigations," the same source states.
At the end of last week, a burglary took place at the Drents Museum, as a result of which the golden helmet from Cotofenesti and three gold Dacian bracelets were stolen, some of the most important artefacts in Romania's national heritage. It is assumed that at least three people were involved in the robbery, based on surveillance images captured during the incident.